Electrical motors are used in a number of applications including condenser fans. Under some conditions, electrical currents may be induced in the shaft of the electrical motor. For example, to make condenser motors more electrically efficient, inverters are frequently incorporated in the motors. One issue that arises from the use of inverters is the occurrence of currents in the shafts of the motors that are caused by the inverters. These currents may flow to bearings that are mounted about the motor shaft within the motor housing. These currents may result in arcing between bearings and bearing races. Such arcing over a period of time may pit the bearings and degrade the life of the bearings.
To deal with the generation of currents in motor shafts caused by inverters, grounding rings have been developed. These grounding rings include a ring of conductive material that is typically formed with a toroidal shape. In the central bore of the toroid, brushes made of conductive material extend from the inside diameter of the ring into the central bore. By mounting the grounding ring about the motor shaft to enable the brushes to contact the motor shaft, any currents in the shaft can be conducted through the brushes and the grounding ring into the housing of the motor, which is electrically grounded. In the past, these grounding rings have sometimes been installed by tapping two or more holes in an endplate of the motor housing at positions that would be outside the diameter of a grounding ring concentrically mounted about a motor shaft. Brackets having a hole in one end are secured to the endplate by passing a threaded fastener through the hole and rotating the threaded fastener in the threaded hole. The outboard end of the bracket is positioned over the grounding ring before the threaded fastener is firmly tightened to secure the bracket against the grounding ring and hold the grounding ring in place about the shaft. Unfortunately, the bracket disrupts the continuous nature of the outside diameter of the grounding ring and adversely impacts the ability to mount barriers, such as bearing caps and water slingers, over the grounding ring. In other installations, the grounding rings were installed on an endplate without a bearing cap or water slinger. These components help reduce the amount of particulate and other debris from entering the motor housing. Consequently, a way of installing grounding rings without interfering with the placement of environmental debris barriers is desirable.